dry-nurse

1 of 2

verb

(ˈ)drī-ˈnərs

dry-nursed; dry-nursing; dry-nurses

: to take care of but not breastfeed (another woman's baby) : to act as a dry nurse to

: to give unnecessary supervision to

dry nurse

2 of 2

: a woman who takes care of but does not breastfeed another woman's baby

Noun after years of being a dry nurse to other women's children, she longed to have a child of her own

First Known Use

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of dry-nurse was in 1581

See more words from the same year

Style

“Dry-nurse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dry-nurse. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

dry nurse

noun

: a woman who takes care of but does not breastfeed another woman's baby

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